I drove a $99,000 Porsche Boxster GTS to see if it's worth $10,000 more than the Boxster S — here's the verdict

More recently, I tested a Boxster GTS, the slightly more
powerful version of Porsche's popular roadster.

I found it exhilarating and maybe a little too perfect for
its own good.

My Business Insider colleague Ben Zhang is a serious fan of the
Porsche Boxster. The mid-engine machine was rolled out on 1996 to
shouts of "Heresy!" from Porsche loyalists who thought the
brand's 911 was perfection and shouldn't be messed with. If you
want two doors and Porsche goodness, the argument went, you buy a
911. End of discussion.

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Porsche didn't listen to those folks and has been rewarded with a
ravishing success in the Boxster. After Ben drove the Boxster S
in 2017,
he wrote: "It's fun, it's capable, and it's surprisingly easy
to live with. When it's all said and done, you can't help love
it."

The 350-horsepower Boxster S is indeed good fun. But what if we
tack on an extra 15 ponies to the turbocharged four-cylinder
engine of this robust Roadster? Then we have a Boxster GTS, which
as tested by yours truly came in at nearly $100,000 - $99,430, to
be exact.

The conditions were ideal: a sunny autumn Saturday between
downpours. So I dropped the top - a quick, simple, mechanized
operation - broke out my driving gloves and a warm hat and scarf,
and hit the road. My critical question: Is the Boxster really
necessary? Or is the 911, the ur-Porsche, in production since the
early 1960s, good enough?

A big initial difference between our Boxster S and GTS testers:
Ben sampled the "old-fashioned six-speed manual" transmission, as
he put it - the enthusiast's choice - while I was issued the
seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplung, or PDK, manumatic. These
days, I don't have a preference for stickshifts over automatic,
unless the vehicle is rather barebones, such as a Mazda Miata
MX-5. On balance, the GTS was plenty peppy minus the clutch and
honestly less demanding from day to day (mileage is reasonable,
at 20 miles per gallon in the city, 26 on the highway, and 22
combined).

Not like driving a 911

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The Boxster with its sibling, the Cayman.

source

Porsche

Let's just cut to the chase and render a verdict on what it's
like to drive this little beast. Compared with the 911, it's ...
weird. The Boxster and its sister, the Cayman, are ridiculously
composed high-performance automobiles. Like all-wheel-drive
versions of the 911, they inspire a stupid level of confidence.
Impeccable balance. Smooth, lagless power delivery, even as the
four-cylinder supplanted a legendary six in 2017.

I have no hesitation in declaring that apart from sacrificing the
original roar of the engine and thereby undermining some of the
Porsche ownership experience, the Boxster GTS cannot be ruffled,
cannot be unsettled, cannot be made to see out of control in any
way.

The thing rockets to 60 mph in under five clicks of the second
hand, grabbing dollops of its 309 pound-feet of torque during the
dash. Tuck into a curve and the suspension takes care of the laws
of physics and the steering is bliss. Punch the throttle on the
exit as the transmission reads your mind and the wind lashes your
skin and an involuntary smile spreads across your face. Do it
again, and again, and again.

But, the weird part. In my experience, a 911 shows you how to
drive it. The platform, steadily improved over decades to contend
with the engineering flaw of putting the engine over the rear
wheels, anticipates your needs. It guides you. It's a sort of an
automotive guru.

But also better than the 911 in many ways

caption

The 911 — my favorite Porsche.

source

Matthew DeBord/BI

But, like all great performance cars, the 911 harbors an
unsettling demeanor beneath its more didactic aspects. It can get
out of hand. The rear end will wiggle and slide. You need to turn
yourself over to it, because you aren't 100% in charge.

Not so with the Boxster. In my tester's black leather crib,
sunshine pouring in, turbo whining away, I felt unfazed. What
can't this glorious machine do? Is there any way for me to detect
a lack of bond between man and motor? Does this Porsche really
want me to be the boss?

Certainly not where the price is concerned. The biggest extra
expense in my Boxster GTS was the PDK transmission, at $3,750.
But beyond that, the costly options were cosmetic. So is the
boost of $10,000 over the Boxster S worth it? For the meager
uptick in horsepower?

Well, no. But I guess if you're in this financial territory, it's
academic. Porsches ain't cheap. The Boxster S is magnificent. The
GTS is slightly more magnificent. Maybe save the money and buy, I
don't know, a Rolex to wear in your Porsche.

The Boxster is cheaper than the 911, so take this advice: If you
want a toy, a plaything, a two-seater that's so wonderful you'll
never regret the purchase, get the Boxster GTS. If you want a
nominal back seat and old-school Porsche compromises with the
attendant gloriousness, go for the 911. It's only money. And no
matter what you do, you can't lose.